Ferronlandia: San Francisco International Chocolate Salon

Ahh 50,000 square feet of chocolate, my kind of breakfast. The San Francisco International Chocolate Salon was a bazaar of fifty chocolate vendors, wineries and genuine chocolate-loving freaks. I was pushed over by an old lady with a notepad, cut in line by a hipster (pause, that happens everywhere), and rubbed elbows with some seriously demanding Napoleon Dynamite look-alikes who greeted reps with a fast paced, "Hi, I'd like to try each variety and please explain to me what I should be tasting while I'm chewing, thank you." It was all a cacao hazed blur by the end, but I did manage to decide on a few favorites:
Amano's Sidr Honey Truffle

Had I known this truffle was made with the most expensive honey in the world I would've pocketed a few for my e-bay store. Sidr honey is made from bees who feed on the sacred Sidr tree in the Hadramaut region of Yemen. It's harvested twice a year, when farmers go into the highlands as they've been doing for 7,000 years. It's believed to be rich with healing properties, and I'm going to pretend that they still take effect when combined with an entire morning of chocolate tasting.
Nicole Lee's French Macarons

With flavors like lychee rose, passion fruit and vanilla olive, Nicole Lee's colorful plate of macarons was a burst of color and texture. Find her in San Jose.
Sexual Chocolate, by SLO down Wines

I could have a lot of fun with this. Instead I'm going to refer you to these guys, who are a barrel of laughs and breezy arrogance, and make one spicy syrah-zinfandel blend. SLO down Wines is Brandon and Chip's college hobby brought to fruition just this year, and if you can't tell from the photo below you're not going to have to make small talk about raspberry notes or altitudes to hang out with these winemakers.

Sexual Chocolate 2009 costs $16 a bottle, order here (and then invite someone special over).

Missed the chocolate salon this year? Bookmark it for next year (psst, remember to bring a tupperware).